Old Mnemonics

Over the years I’ve come across more than a few crutches used by Latin students to remember details of the language they’re studying. One in particular from my own long-lost youth:

“After si, nisi, numquid, ne,
all the ali’s run away”

The idea is to remind you that after one of these four conjunctions, a word like qui, quae, quod, quis, or quid is better translated as if it were aliqui, aliquae, aliquod, aliquis, or aliquod. An example can be found in Cicero’s opening line to his oration Pro Archia: Si quid est in me ingeni… - (lit.) “if there is something of talent in me…”

I’ve learned recently that at least one series of older textbooks came up with a whole assortment of these “concocted rhymes” (for lack of a better term). Some of them are quite elaborate, in some cases more work that it’s worth for the thing you’re trying to remember.

A little digging is in order. I’ll post some of the cuter ones when I find them, but I invite you to put your favorites in comments…